Dear BAS Alums and friends,
John L Colbert, BAS President; Greg Crosby, BAS Scholar; Angela Mosley Monts, Director of Constituent Engagement; Del’Juan Jackson, BAS Scholar; and Emanuel Banks, 2015 BAS Reunion Co-Chair
It is with sincere enthusiasm that I write this column for the month of May. This enthusiasm comes from the fact that I was elated to spend the weekend of April 26th in Dallas with the BAS Board of Directors and U of A Alums from the surrounding areas to attend the BAS and Diversity reception. The energy that was created in that room was very contagious as we shared stories about the great things happening because of BAS.
Joining us that weekend were two of our BAS Scholars. Their individual stories touched the hearts of everyone in the room. Their testimonies about how they were able to get their tuition paid was a direct result of the BAS Scholarships that were granted to them. They also talked about how important it was for them to have come in contact with Mrs. Angela Mosley Monts and other alumni members. Because of those contacts, they were inspired to do their best to succeed in school as they strived to reach their long-term goals. This is a testimony that your membership and individual scholarships are making a difference in the lives of these and other African-American students at the University of Arkansas.
The Board of Directors were moved and energized to the point that they committed themselves to making sure that the BAS 2015 Reunion will be the best since our 25 years in existence. Co-chairs, Emanuel Banks and Lindsey Leverett, extended a roaring invitation for those in attendance to attend the 20th Anniversary Celebration of BAS on April 24-26, 2015 in Fayetteville, AR. They laid out a festive event that each of you would not want to miss. We are encouraged to continue this approach of taking our story on the road, entitled “The Road to Silver” the 2015 BAS Reunion. We hope to join the hundreds of alumni in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the next stop to spread the word about BAS and the upcoming reunion in 2015. We encourage each of you in the Little Rock area to join us once that date has been scheduled. We want you to know that your membership in BAS is very important and crucial to the well being of our African-American students at the University of Arkansas. Please mark your calendars now so that you will be able to join us at the 20th BAS Celebration in Fayetteville on April 17-19, 2015. I hope we can count on each of you in making a difference in the lives of our future. We will recognize our past while celebrating our future.
We are asking our Dallas and surrounding area alumni and friends to please complete the following survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/roadtosilverbigd
We want to make our next Reunion stop Bigger and Better. Thank you!!!
With Pride, Class of ’76
John L Colbert, BAS
President, 2013-2015
